Clothes washing machines



Oct. 27, 1970 Filed May 2, 1968 P. W. DOUGLAS CLOTHES WASHING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Peyton W. Douglas 2 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed May 2, 1968 Fig.2.

mvemon Peyton W. Douql as 54am United States Patent Ofice 3,535,897 CLOTHES WASHING MACHINES Peyton W. Douglas, Bemus Point, N.Y., assignor to Blackstone Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed May 2, 1968, Ser. No. 726,019 Int. Cl. D06f 29/02 U.S. Cl. 6823.3 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A clothes washer having an extractor tub and a concentric collector tank mounted on a vertical shaft mounted in a gear box movable vertically on a stub shaft in a base and rotatable relative to brake and dampener means on said base, generally vertical arms extending from a movable conical member frictionally engaging a stationary conical portion on said base to the periphery of the collector tank and resilient means connecting said arms intermediate their length with the base.

This invention relates to clothes washing machines and particularly to domestic washing machines in which both washing and centrifugal water extraction operations are carried out in a single perforate tub.

The art of clothes washing machines is well developed and there are many washing machines of the same general type as the present invention where both washing and extraction are carried out in a single tub. These machines are of two types, one having an imperforate tub and the other having a perforate tub and an external water container. Typical of the first group is the structure shown in my Pat. 3,083,558, issued Apr. 2, 1963.

There are basically two important problems in the clothes washing machine field. They are:

(a) Supporting the tub with the minimum of structural elements in such manner that off-balance tendency of the machine is overcome and excess vibration eliminated, and

(b) Driving the tub in a simple manner embracing two speed operation while protecting the drive from access by the washing water.

I have invented a new vertical tub washing machine structure which provides an elastic vertical support for the rotary tub and its surrounding water container and which reduces the problems of unbalance generally associated with such structures due to uneven wash loads.

Preferably, I provide a clothes washing machine having a clothes tub rotatable about a vertical axis, a tank surrounding said tub and normally concentric therewith, a base spaced from the tank, a stub shaft mounted at one end in a resilient bearing member in said base, a transmission on said stub shaft adjacent the base, a support shaft concentric with said stub shaft extending from said transmission to said tub and journalled for rotation in the tank, brake means on the base engaging the transmission, annular bearing means on said base, an annular resilient bearing member on said annular bearing means, spaced generally vertical arms extending from a support member to the tank, and resilient means connecting said spaced arms intermediate their length with a support member on the base. Resilient means connecting the spaced arms and base are springs lying alongside and generally parallel to said arms. Lift means as disclosed in my Pat. No. 3,215,232 are preferably provided in said transmission adjacent the lower end of said vertical support shaft engageable with said transmission during the extraction cycle to raise the transmission from the brake means.

In the foregoing general description of my invention I have set out certain purposes, objects and advantages of my invention. Other purposes, objects and advantages will 3,535,897 Patented Oct. 27, 1970 be apparent from a consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly broken away and partly in vertical section, showing a clothes washer according to my invention; and

FIG. 2 is a segmental section showing the transmission in the extraction position.

Referring to the drawings I have illustrated an external cabinet 10 enclosing the washing machine. The cabinet 10 has four sidewalls, a top 11 and base 12. The top is provided with a central opening 13 providing access into the interior of the cabinet. The base 12 is provided with depending peripheral flanges 14 secured to the cabinet walls by welding or some equivalent means. A central opening 15 is provided in a generally cup-shaped central depression 15a in an upstanding conical portion 16 of the base 12 to receive a part of the structure hereafter described.

A stub drive shaft 17 is mounted at its lower end in a resilient bearing member 18 which is fixed to the cupshaped portion 15a of the conical base portion at the opening 15. An annular generally frusto-conical member 19 is fixed to supporting arms 50 and is movable relatively to the conical portion 16 of base 12. A bearing pad 20 is fixed to conical portion 16 between it and conical mem ber 19. The upper end of the stub drive shaft 17 projects into a transmission unit 21. The lower end of the shaft 17 is of reduced diameter and is mounted in an annular thrust and radial bearing 22 fixed in resilient bearing member 18. The lower end of shaft 17 below bearing 22 carries a drive pulley 23 connected by a belt 24 to motor 25 on base 12.

The transmission unit 21 is constructed and functions in the manner described in Lodge Pats. No. 2,733,610, dated Feb. 7, 1956, and No. 2,841,260, dated July 1, 1958, and Douglas Pat. No. 3,215,232, dated Nov. 2, 1965. Projecting upwardly from the transmission unit 21 is tube 29 which passes through a bearing and seal 30 mounted in a resilient member 31 which is in turn mounted in an axial opening 32 in collector tank 33. A tub 34 is mounted on the upper end of tube 29. A shaft 35 extends from the interior of transmission unit 21, through tube 29 and suitable bearings 36 and 37 and projects out of the upper end of tube 29 to receive agitator 38.

The transmission unit 21 normally rests on brake shoe 26 on base 12. The motor 25 is of the reversing type and when operated in one direction it acts through transmis sion unit 21 to oscillate the agitator 38 within the tub 34. When the motor rotates in the opposite direction it raises the transmission unit 21 and tub 34 by means of clutch 40 which is constructed and operates as described in my Pat. No. 3,215,232, issued Nov. 2, 1965. The transmission unit is raised away from brake shoe 26 and rotates with shaft 17 to provide the extraction operation for removing water from clothes in tub 34.

It is, of course, obvious that there will be a tendency for the tub 34 and supporting structure to nod or tilt somewhat during the normal washing operation. However, the problem of nodding or tilting becomes significant only when the tub 34 and transmission 17 are raised for the extraction operation. Even here the problem is drastically reduced by moving the transmission 17 to its position on the base rather than at the tub as has heretofore been common. At this point any unbalance in the weight of clothes or water at the higher extraction speed tends to throw the tub out of its normal axis. To overcome this, I provide spaced arms 50 connected at one end to the outer periphery of cone 19 and at the other end to fixed receptacle or collector tank 33 at its outer periphery. A resilient member 51 preferably in the form of a spring is connected to base 12 at one end and to arms 50, intermediate their length, at the other end. Preferably, an adjustment means 52 is provided between the resilient member 51 and the arms 50 so as to permit adjustment of and balancing of the forces exerted around the collector tank or fixed tank 33.

The structure of the present invention provides many advantages over prior art structures. It removes the transmission out of contact with any water containing receptacle and is not contacted by water in any receptacle at any time. It moves the transmission down to the base and thus the spinning transmission acts as a dynamic stabilizing influence and prevents the tub from excessive nutation by contacting the brake members and thus retarding the extraction speed until the source of the unbalance is corrected. It provides a very simple and inexpensive but very effective stabilized support for both the fixed receptacle as well as for the clothes containing and extraction tub. It eliminates the need for dynamic balancing rings and reset cut-off switches previously used on extraction tubs, the weight of the collection tanks or fixed tank 33 acting as a static damper in conjunction with the stabilizing springs 51 and the base position of the transmission.

While I have illustrated and described a presently preferred embodiment of my invention in the foregoing specification, it will be understood that this invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A clothes washing machine comprising a clothes tub rotatable about a vertical axis, a collector tank surrounding and normally concentric with said tub, a base spaced below said collector tank, a vertical stub shaft mounted at one end in a resilient member in said base, a drive transmission on said stub shaft adjacent the base, a support shaft concentric with said first shaft extending from said transmission to said tub and journalled for rotation in the collector tank, brake means on the base engaging the transmission to hold it against rotation, annular bearing means on said base, an annular bearing member on said bearing means, spaced generally vertical arms extending from the bearing member to the collector tank, and resilient means connecting said arms intermediate their length to said base.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the resilient means connecting said arms to said base are springs having adjustment means for varying the tension exerted thereby.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the support shaft is provided with an inner concentric drive shaft carrying an agitator member.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the stub shaft extends into the transmission and the support shaft includes an outer tube fixed to said transmission and to the tub and an inner shaft extending into the transmission and out of said outer tube to receive an agitator and reversible drive means drivingly connect to the stub drive shaft for selectively rotating it in opposite directions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,513,844 7/1950 Castner et al 6823.3 2,976,998 3/1961 Smith 6823.3 X 3,049,025 8/1962 Lannert 6823.3 X 3,083,558 4/1963 Douglas 6823.3 3,247,689 4/1966 Wasemann 6823.3 3,269,544 8/1966 Brucken et a1. 68-233 X ROBERT L. BLEUTGE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

